The American statistician and social economist Carroll Davidson Wright (1840-1909) organized the Bureau of Labor Statistics and did much to inspire and produce objective research on labor problems.

Carroll Wright was born on July 25, 1840, in Dunbarton, N. H. His father was a Universalist minister, and the family frequently moved from one town to another. Carroll studied at various academies in New England.

In those days there were no formal law programs in universities, and the path to a law degree was to study and work under a seasoned, respected lawyer and then present oneself under that lawyer's sponsorship for examination. Wright began reading law in Keene, N. H., at the same time teaching in the country schools of that district. He continued his study of law in Dedham and Boston until 1862 and then served in the army during the Civil War.

Wright was admitted to the New Hampshire...